Summer, Winter, and Sky
by ThornWolf the Loyal
Summary: SEQUEL TO FIRE, ICE, AND SPIRIT: Icepaw and Solarpaw have finally become apprentices, and are proving that they will be great warriors someday. But when they are taken away by Twolegs, they will have to rely on a streetwise cat to get home.
1. Cat Clans

**MysticClan **

Leader: Aquastar (storm gray she-cat w/ blue-green eyes)

Deputy: Hawkwing (black and gray tom w/ gold eyes)

Medicine Cat: Solarwind (black she-cat w/ silver lines crossing her body and dark blue eyes)

-Frostbite (ice-blue she-cat w/ white tail and blue eyes)

Warriors: Rockfire (gray tom w/ black spots and orange eyes)

Shadowfire (black tom w/ orange eyes)

Nightrain (black striped gray tom)

Skysong (silvery white she-cat w/ dark blue eyes)

Winterstorm (white tom)

Blackstone (large black tom)

Wolfheart (dark brown she-cat w/ a white patch on her chest and icy blue eyes)

Emberflame (light orange she-cat w/ light blue eyes)

-Solarpaw

Swiftwind (tabby tom)

-Icepaw

Snowdrift (white she-cat with green eyes)

Shadowstorm (black tom with dark brown eyes)

Apprentices: Solarpaw (black she-cat w/ dark green eyes and thin white lines on her body)

Icepaw (white she-cat w/ light blue eyes)

Elders: Mossear (white she-cat with brown patches)

Mistmoon (light gray she-cat w/ white legs and green eyes)

Turtleshell (tortoiseshell tom)

Queens: none

**MoonClan**

Leader: Riverstar (blue-gray she-cat)

Deputy: Rockfall (burly brown tom)

Medicine Cat: Waterlily (gray and white she-cat)

Warriors: Tigerpelt (dark tabby tom)

-Windpaw

Eagletalon (golden tom)

-Flowerpaw

Thunderclap (dark gold tom)

-Squirrelpaw

Bearclaw (black and brown tom)

Blue-eyes (black she-cat w/ blue eyes)

Owlpelt (dark brown she-cat w/ big eyes)

Silvercloud (silvery gray she-cat)

Redfoot (black tom w/ one red-colored paw)

Apprentices: Squirrelpaw (brown she-cat)

Flowerpaw (white she-cat)

Windpaw (gray tom)

Elders: Poppypelt (red she-cat)

Graysky (dark gray tom)

Queens: Songbird (white she-cat)

**SunClan**

Leader: Lionstar (dark gold tom w/ a thick ruff around his neck) 

Deputy: Sagestreak (light gray she-cat)

Medicine Cat: Dandelionpuff (creamy-white she-cat with bright gold eyes)

-Whitepaw

Warriors: Rosethorn (white she-cat)

Dawnsun (light gold she-cat) 

-Foxpaw

Wildfire (red and white tom)

Smallpebble (small gray she-cat)

Redleaf (red she-cat)

Windsky (silvery white she-cat)

Sootfur (dark gray tom)

Apprentices: Whitepaw (ginger tom w/ one white paw)

Foxpaw (rust colored she-cat)

Elders: Mountainside (massive black tom)

Oceantide (blue she-cat)

Queens: Brighteye (black she-cat w/ blue eyes)

Rabbittail (brown she-cat w/ a short white tail)

-Patchkit (black and white tom)

-Stonekit (dark gray tom)

**NightClan**

Leader: Falconstar (large gray-brown tom)

Deputy: Snakescale (brown tom)

Medicine Cat: Littleflame (small red-gold she-cat)

Warriors: Brushblaze (dark brown tabby tom w/ dark orange eyes)

Lightningstrike (light gold tom)

Thornshadow (Dark brown she-cat)

Russetpelt (reddish she-cat)

Spottedfur (dappled gray she-cat)

-Darkpaw

Leopardspots (gold spotted she-cat)

Featherfur (gray and white she-cat)

Apprentices: Darkpaw (almost-black tom)

Elders: Longfur (long-haired black she-cat)

Scarshoulder (gray tom w/ a long scar that starts on his shoulder and runs down his leg)

Queens: Midnightflower (dark blue-gray she-cat)

-Bramblekit (brown tom)

-Brindlekit (light brown she-cat)

-Brakenkit (dark brown tom)


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Icekit and Solarkit were polar opposites. While Solarkit was bouncing around, annoying the elders and getting in the way of warriors, Icekit was endlessly patient, sitting with her tail curled around her legs, waiting. Their mother, Snowdrift, was trying (unsuccessfully) to get Solarkit to stay in one place.

"I said, stay put!" she half growled at her younger kit, trapping her tail beneath one paw.

"But mom, I'm not a kit anymore! I'm about to be an apprentice!" squealed Solarkit, still jumping around, just not as high with her mother sitting on her tail.

"You are a kit until you receive your name. Now sit still!" meowed an exasperated Snowdrift. _I hope whoever mentors her will have the energy to keep up! _She thought, nipping Solarkit's ear in hopes of making her stop.

"Your jumping isn't going to make things go faster," Icekit mewed quietly.

Solarkit paused to look at her sister. "Aren't _you _excited?"

Icekit glanced over at her. "Yes, of course." She returned her gaze to the Great Rock.

Solarkit rolled her eyes and went back to tugging to break free from Snowdrift's grip. She was about to say something sarcastic when Aquastar's yowl rang through the clearing. "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Great Rock!"

Sleek forms emerged from dens. Snowdrift lifted her paw up and Solarkit tumbled onto her nose.

"Very graceful," teased Icekit. They went to the base of the Great Rock and stood there as Aquastar bounded down from the top.

"Snowdrift, you have raised your kits well, despite how trying they could be," Aquastar began, looking pointedly at Solarkit, who was quivering with excitement. "Solarkit, from now until you become a warrior, you shall be known as Solarpaw. Emberflame will be your mentor." A light orange she-cat stepped forward and touched noses with the black and white striped apprentice. Solarpaw's heart nearly burst with joy, because Emberflame had been one of the cats that had saved the Clans from a bear attack.

"Icekit, until the day that you become a warrior, your shall be known as Icepaw. Swiftwind will be your mentor." A sleek tabby tom came forward and touched noses with the white she-cat. Icepaw's light blue eyes twinkled with happiness. This was the cat that had gone to get help during the attack from the wolves, and to her it was a great honor to have him as her mentor.

"Mentors, pass on all you know to your apprentices," Aquastar nodded to each mentor in turn. She then looked up to the stars and cried up to them, "I ask StarClan to watch over these apprentices on their journey to becoming true warriors, and to guide their mentors!"

Yowls from MysticClan rose up all around them. "Solarpaw! Icepaw! Solarpaw! Icepaw!"

-----

Icepaw stepped out of the apprentices' den and stretched out her back. She glanced around. She saw Swiftwind padded over to her. "Good morning. Where is my sister? Her nest has been empty for a while."

Swiftwind smiled down at her. "She's been pestering Emberflame for a while now. I believe they're in the training hollow. Would you like to go there, or would you rather go for a hunt?"

"I would like to go train first. It'll be fun to see Solarpaw get battered about for a change," she said.

They padded out of the camp together. They had to climb over a log to get there. "I can give you a boost, if you like. I sometimes have trouble getting over it myself," meowed Swiftwind.

"I can handle it, but thank you for the offer," mewed Icepaw.

"Then let me go first. If you need help, I can grab you," Swiftwind insisted. Icepaw nodded. She watched him carefully as he crouched and sprang up, how he buried his claws in the wood and pulled himself up.

"Your turn," he meowed to her. Icepaw did her best to copy everything he did. She crouched, leapt up, and clung to the log with her claws. She had almost made it up when one of her paws slipped. She felt herself falling when Swiftwind quickly grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her up.

"Thank you," Icepaw mewed.

"No problem, and you don't need to be so formal with me."

"Oh, okay. Thank y-, I mean, thanks." She smiled sheepishly up at him.

A cry pulled their attention to the training hollow. They ran up to the edge of it in time to see Emberflame flip Solarpaw onto her back.

"Solarpaw, you have to be ready for an opponent to do that. You can't just focus all your energy on your attack alone, you must be ready to defend yourself as well," Emberflame meowed.

"Need any help?" Swiftwind asked as he padded into the hollow. Icepaw swiftly followed.

Emberflame looked up with relief in her eyes. "Absolutely. We can show these two how to fight and defend properly."

Icepaw joined her sister. "How much did you see?" Solarpaw asked, shaking sand off her fur.

"Just you getting thrown aside like a leaf," Icepaw mewed slyly. Solarpaw nipped at her, but Icepaw deflected it with a paw. "I know that trick. You used to try it all the time back in the nursery, remember?"

"Okay, you two," Emberflame broke in. "Enough of that. Here's how you really do it."

-----

Two mentors padded into the camp with two very battered apprentices behind them. Emberflame and Swiftwind couldn't help smiling at Solarpaw and Icepaw, who were pretty much dragging themselves to the apprentices' den.

"I hurt all over," complained Solarpaw as she plopped down outside of the den.

"And to think, they still had their claws sheathed," added Icepaw, following suit.

"I can't imagine what it's going to be like up against a real opponent."

"Hopefully by then we will be better prepared to fight."

"Will you stop being so optimistic? It gets on my nerves," snarled Solarpaw. She closed her eyes only to open them again as her sister half-heartedly cuffed her with a paw. Solarpaw growled beneath her breath and batted Icepaw's ear. Before either of them could make another move, both of them fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Several days had past since Icepaw and Solarpaw became apprentices. Once again Solarpaw was down in the training hollow, but this time she were doing much better.

Emberflame grabbed her by the leg. Solarpaw slammed her paw down on Emberflame's head, forcing her to let go. The two sprang apart and stood there looking at each other for a few seconds. Then Solarpaw feinted at her left shoulder. As Emberflame shifted her defense there, Solarpaw changed her aim almost seamlessly to the right and shoved her mentor onto her side. But Solarpaw wasn't ready when her mentor kicked out at her, knocking Solarpaw aside. Quick as a flash, Emberflame was on her paws and had Solarpaw by the scruff.

"Okay. I'm done," Solarpaw half-growled, half-panted. Emberflame dropped her and waited patiently for her to get up.

"You did good today. I think I'm going to be as bruised as you are!" She brushed her tail against Solarpaw's side. "Would you like to see if we could go on a hunt? You're sister might be able to come."

Solarpaw nodded and they headed off together. As they entered the camp, they saw Wolfheart stretched out in the sun. Shadowstorm was lying next to her. A wicked thought came into Solarpaw's mind. She snuck behind a bush and sidled along it until she was directly behind them. Then she started to sing quietly.

"Shadowstorm and Wolfheart, sitting in a tr-oof!"

She was cut off when a white clump of fur slammed into her side.

"Icepaw! What was that for?" she whined at her sister.

"Can't you just leave well enough alone? You're so irritating!" Icepaw meowed and stalked off.

Solarpaw was about to say something back when she felt two pairs of eyes staring at her. Turning around, she looked up to see the dark look Shadowstorm and Wolfheart were giving her. She meekly smiled before quickly scampering off in hopes of saving her tail.

Wolfheart sighed and turned back to the black tom. "Sorry. She's followed me around since even when I was an apprentice, and she loves to make fun of me any time she can. Which isn't very often, mind you."

The tom pressed his nose into her side. "That's because you're so perfect," he mewed softly.

"Wolfheart!" Emberflame meowed as she padded over. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything, but we need you to come on a hunt with us."

"Fine," Wolfheart sighed. She stood up, and licked Shadowstorm's ear. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She padded off to join the group gathered at the camp exit. Swiftwind and Icepaw were there, along with Emberflame and Solarpaw, of course.

"Let's go," meowed Swiftwind. They trotted out into the forest.

Emberflame fell in step beside her sister. "So, you've fell for someone already."

Wolfheart looked away bashfully. "Yeah. I guess I've always liked him. I was just always too afraid to admit it."

"When did you tell him?" Solarpaw asked as she bounced along. "Solarpaw!" hissed Icepaw, but her sister ignored her.

"I told him right after he told me."

"He's a very lucky cat," meowed Swiftwind, glancing at Wolfheart. "Now be quiet. You four are going to scare away all the prey in the forest."

After a little while, Emberflame stopped and raised her tail, signaling the others to stop. She looked at Solarpaw, who instantly got the hint. She opened her mouth in order to draw in the scent. She dropped into a hunter's crouch and moved quietly to a pile of leaves. She could see the head of a vole moving about, looking for food. It hadn't noticed her, until she stepped on a twig. It sprang up, but before it could move, Icepaw pounced, killing it swiftly.

"That's one way of doing it," mewed Wolfheart. "Pretty good teamwork."

"A little unorthodox, but I like it," added Emberflame.

Swiftwind stood there staring hard at the two apprentices. Finally he nodded. "Well done. But next time, try to do it by yourselves." They continued on.

-----

The cats were gathering up the prey that they had caught and were heading back to the camp. Wolfheart was somewhat happier now that there was something in Solarpaw's mouth, preventing her from badgering her with more questions about Shadowstorm. This happiness was short lived, because Solarpaw dropped the mouse and the vole she had been carrying. She lifted her head up, and cocked it to the side.

"Does anyone else hear that?" she half mewed and half whimpered.

"Hear what?" Emberflame asked, dropping her fresh-kill.

"It sounds like…like a low growl…Wait it stopped." Solarpaw climbed up a tree and sat crouching on the limb. A few seconds later, she called down to them. "There's something coming towards us."

"Can you tell what it is?" asked Swiftwind.

"There are two of them. They're tall and-"

Before she could finish, two Twolegs came out of the brush. They stopped, startled to see the cats. Then one lunged for Wolfheart and Swiftwind. Emberflame leapt at them, digging her claws into the foreleg of one. It yowled in pain, and shook its foreleg to get her off. It growled something then went after her again, while the other one reached for Icepaw. In hopes of defending her sister, Solarpaw dropped out of the tree and onto the Twoleg's head. Before she could do any damage, it grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her off. It held her like that, and no matter how she twisted, she couldn't attack it. It said something to the other one, who grabbed Icepaw the same way. Now that both of them were hindered by having to hold a cat, they couldn't grab any of the warriors, who were now furious, hissing and clawing at the Twolegs' legs. But no matter how hard they tried, they weren't able to hurt them due to a strange blue covering that the Twolegs were wearing.

The Twolegs turned and ran with the Clan cats in pursuit. They burst out of the forest near a Thunderpath. The warriors tried to help, but another Twoleg came at them with a stick that had vines woven together attached to it. The Twoleg swung it at Swiftwind, who dodged it. They ran back into the shelter of the forest.

They watched helplessly from there as the Twolegs put the apprentices into strange boxes. They then put these boxes into the belly of a white Twoleg monster and got in themselves. Then the monster growled loudly and backed up onto the Thunderpath. It then raced along the Thunderpath, leaving only a horrid smell behind it.

The cats stood there, stunned. Twolegs had taken MysticClan's only apprentices away, and they could do nothing to help. They whirled, forgetting all about the prey they had caught, and raced back to the camp.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Twoleg monster bounced and jostled the boxes that the apprentices were in as it sped down the Thunderpath. Solarpaw longed to press herself against Icepaw, but cold wire separated them. The most they could do was talk to each other.

"Where are they taking us?" Solarpaw asked. She huddled further into a corner of her box.

"I wish I knew."

"When they come to take us out of these things, I'm going to teach them a lesson they won't soon forget!" snarled Solarpaw, her fear forgotten for a moment to be replaced by a fiery anger. This didn't last for long, because the monster bounced again, and she crouched down, mewling like a lost kit.

Icepaw wished she could do something. She felt so helpless: she couldn't fight, she couldn't comfort her sister, she couldn't even cry for help. She felt so helpless…She curled up into a miserable ball and listened to everything. She fell into an uneasy sleep.

-----

Icepaw woke up as her box was swung out of the belly of the white monster. Her stomach lurched sickeningly. She looked up to see an enormous white Twoleg nest in front of her. Over the entrance to it was a big sign with strange red shapes over it. They were brought into it, and instantly a thousand smells and sounds hit them. Barking, meowing, squawking, fear-scent, and so much more flooded their senses, confusing them both.

They were brought into a room and their boxes down onto a counter. A female Twoleg in white came in and took Solarpaw out of her box. Even though she clawed and hissed and spit at the Twoleg, she ignored it all and looked at Solarpaw's eyes, ears, and body. She then returned the she-cat to her box and did the same with Icepaw.

The Twoleg then brought them into another room where another Twoleg was waiting. She placed the boxes on a metal counter with a square hollow in it. The hollow was filled up with water. She pulled Solarpaw out of her box again and put her in the water. Even though it was pleasantly warm and felt good on her battered body, Solarpaw struggled even harder than before. _If I have to be wet, then so do you! _she thought, kicking her legs out and sending water everywhere. Solarpaw looked over at her sister, who was giving the Twoleg that had a hold on her the same sort of grief. The Twolegs pulled them out of the water and wrapped them up in big soft square things.

Instead of putting them back in the boxes, the Twolegs carried them into yet another room were larger boxes lined the walls. All sorts of animals were in these: cats, dogs, birds, and even rodents stared out at them or were busy making all sorts of racket. The Twoleg holding Solarpaw handed her to the other Twoleg. Then, she opened up one of these boxes and put her inside it, along with Icepaw. Giving them both a pat on the head, she closed it again and the Twolegs left the room.

They sat there, blinking in confusion. Solarpaw was the first to wriggle out of the soft thing. She started to wash herself. Icepaw followed her example, listening quietly and patiently to her sister's ranting.

"I can't believe the nerve of those Twolegs! First they put us in boxes, then make us sit through a horrid ride in that monster, then they think they can put us in water and treat us like-like-like KITTYPETS!" Solarpaw screeched, setting off another chorus of loud bird squawks. "Will you birds SHUT UP?!"

"What do you think they'd do? They're Twolegs. Of course they're idiots," a new voice said. It was gruff, but not mean or unpleasant. The most curious thing about it was that it came from inside they're box. Icepaw and Solarpaw whipped around to see a light tan she-cat with bright green eyes. She was sitting with her tail curled around her paws. Her fur was slightly matted, and she looked a little scrawny. She didn't seem to be much older then they were.

"Who are you?" asked Icepaw, genuinely curious about this stranger and why she hadn't made herself known until now.

"Yeah, tell us or I'll claw your fur off!" snapped Solarpaw, desperately trying to hold onto her tough-guy image.

"Hey, calm down, tiger," the she-cat said, standing up. She was very thin, even though in a corner of the box there was a bowl of what the Twolegs seemed to think was cat food. Her legs were long and lanky, but beneath her pelt they could see strong muscles. "The name's Ivy. Now, do I have the honor of knowing your names?"

"I'm Icepaw, and this is my sister Solarpaw," Icepaw answered, slapping her tail across Solarpaw's mouth to keep her from saying anything stupid. "We are from MysticClan. You don't seem like you're a kittypet or a Clan cat."

"I don't know what all that fancy stuff means, but I don't come from a Twoleg place. If I was, I wouldn't be here. I guess you could say I'm a loner. I live out on the streets. Well, I did until these kind folks caught me and brought me here," Ivy answered. "Icepaw and Solarpaw, huh? Interesting names."

"Kind? KIND?!" yowled Solarpaw. "Are you out of your MIND?! Are you really that STUPID?!"

Ivy's kind eyes darkened and bared teeth replaced her smile. "Don't you dare yell at me. It wasn't my idea to be here. They put out a trap. They took me away from my life. Do you think that I like it here?" she snarled.

"Solarpaw, shut it," hissed Icepaw. "Really, Ivy, she didn't mean that-"

Solarpaw shoved her sister aside. The boxes around theirs had become deathly quiet and all eyes were on the two she-cats who were glaring daggers at each other. "Of course I mean it! And if you were stupid enough to let yourself be caught, then it's your own fault that you're here!"

A shriek of fury blasted out of Ivy as she launched herself at the apprentice. Solarpaw grabbed the loner's paw and attempted to flip her aside. But for being so skinny, Ivy was too strong. She rose up onto her hind legs and knocked Solarpaw off to the side with her good paw. Before she could get up, Ivy was on top of her, her paws of Solarpaw's throat. Anger blazed in her eyes. "Take it back," she hissed.

"No!" Icepaw cried. Ivy looked up at her with cold eyes. "Please, don't hurt her! She's my sister! Please!"

At the word _sister_, Ivy's eyes softened and took on a far away look. Solarpaw remained perfectly still, looking up at her with wide eyes. _How could a loner be this strong?_ Ivy looked back down at Solarpaw. She closed her eyes, sighed, and let Solarpaw up. Icepaw was instantly on her sister, comforting her and scolding her at the same time.

Ivy retreated back to her corner of the box. She curled up with her back to the Clan cats, just staring at the wall. Icepaw looked up at her. She could see Ivy's shoulders shaking slightly. _Is she crying?_ Yes, she had to be. Icepaw could hear soft noises coming from Ivy. Shooting a warning glare at her sister, she crept closer to Ivy.

"Ivy? Are you okay?" she asked, tentatively.

Ivy glanced over her shoulder at the white cat. "Just leave me alone, will ya?" She closed her eyes and faced the wall again.

Icepaw turned back to her sister. "Will you just cool it? If you weren't so hotheaded, we might have actually found a friend here. But no, you had to go and pick a fight," she growled quietly at Solarpaw.

"But she said Twolegs were _kind_!" Solarpaw protested.

"I was being sarcastic! Do you _Clan_ cats know what that is?" Ivy meowed. She had rolled over to look at them. There was a ghost of a smile on her lips, but she was still clearly hurt and angry.

"I do, but my sister here seems to forget about that every now and then," Icepaw replied before her sister could. "Are you okay?"

"Eh, I'm okay as any loner in a cage could be."

"Cage? Is that what this thing is called?"

"Yeah. You don't know anything about Twoleg places, do you?"

Both Clan cats shook their head. Rather, Icepaw shook her head and kept her tail over her sister's mouth so the only thing she could do was shake her head.

"Well then, if you two want to get home, then you're going to need someone who knows the streets to guide you there. Someone like me…"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

Wolfheart, Emberflame, and Swiftwind sprinted into MysticClan camp. Aquastar looked at them from where she had been sunning herself and saw their shocked and furious eyes. She was on her paws in a second and padded over to them.

"Why have you come back without your apprentices? What happened?" she asked, staring hard at each cat in turn.

"Twolegs! Two of them!" panted Wolfheart.

"They-wheeze-grabbed them," added Emberflame.

"We-pant-couldn't do-pant-anything!" finished Swiftwind.

Snowdrift shrieked in rage. "You should've tried harder! You're warriors for crying out loud!"

Aquastar shot her a look that silenced her instantly. "Three warriors are no match for several Twolegs." Her eyes softened. "I understand that they are your kits, but there is nothing we can do other than pray to StarClan that they are safe."

Snowdrift blinked her sad green eyes, but said nothing. She walked away, her tail dragging along the ground, back to the warriors' den.

Emberflame and Swiftwind went off by themselves as well. Wolfheart stood there alone, watching everyone walking away. The grief inside her was terrible. She could feel a tear work its way out and down through her dark brown fur. She closed her eyes tightly.

A tail flicked against her flank and a warm body pressed itself against her side. Wolfheart opened her eyes and looked into the face of Shadowstorm. His brown eyes held such love and understanding. She sank to the ground, not bothering to hide her tears. Shadowstorm curled up next to her, resting his head on side. Wolfheart felt sleep clouding her mind, and wanting to escape from everything, fell asleep.

-----

_Mist curled around Wolfheart as she padded through darkness. She suddenly bumped into something. Wolfheart was about to attack it when its voice made her stop._

"_Wait, its me! Frostbite!"_

_Wolfheart peered through the darkness to see the pale blue pelt of her sister. "Frostbite! Where are we? It seems so familiar somehow…"_

"_I've been through this before. I don't know if you have. This is how medicine cats receive their visions from StarClan," her sister mewed as they started to walk along together. _

"_That's why I remember it! I went through this when I…I died." Wolfheart thought back to the day that the bears had attacked during a Gathering when she was still an apprentice. In order to save her sister, Emberflame, she had pushed her aside, taking the full attack of the bear. It seemed to have killed her, but Frostbite had given her some plants that brought her back._

_Wolfheart could see Frostbite's curious gaze, but she said nothing. The two continued on in silence. Up ahead, they could see a tiny pinpoint of light. They picked up their pace a little bit, and reached it sooner than they thought they would. _

_It was a clearing that had no mist at all. A small pond was in the middle of it, and a tree next to the pond. It was covered in snow and there was one lone icicle on it. Above all of this was one star. Suddenly, both the star and the icicle fell towards the pond. Something inside both cats told them that if the star and icicle hit the water, they would disappear. But before they did, a small leaf-an ivy leaf-floated out into the water, and both things fell onto it. The leaf and its cargo floated gently to the edge of the pond where they were standing. _

-----

Wolfheart woke up to find that night had already fallen. Shadowstorm was still pressed against her side. She carefully got up, trying not to wake him, and padded to the medicine cats' den.

"Frostbite," she called softly. Almost instantly, a blue head popped out.

"You had a dream too," she said knowingly.

Wolfheart nodded. "I have to go see if I can find them. I need to see it with my own eyes that they are safe."

"I won't stop you. I think StarClan showed you that for a reason. And I think that it is your purpose now to go find them."

Wolfheart pressed her nose into her sister's side. "Thank you for understanding. Tell the others why I'm gone for me."

"I will. Now go, before someone wakes up," mewed Frostbite.

Wolfheart padded quietly out of the camp. She hadn't gone very far when she heard the brush behind her rustle. She looked back to see a black tom come out.

"Where do you think you're going?" Shadowstorm demanded.

"I'm going to find Solarpaw and Icepaw," Wolfheart answered. "And I'm not going to let you stop me."

She turned and started off with her tail held high. Shadowstorm ran around in front of her, blocking her path. "Are you crazy? First of, you don't even know where they are. And secondly, how do you think you are going to stand up against more Twolegs?"

"I've survived a bear attack," she growled, indicating the scars that still ran along her body. "I can live through getting chased by Twolegs. Now if you'll excuse me."

She tried to push past him, but Shadowstorm jumped on her and pinned her to the ground. "No! I'm not letting you go anywhere. You're going to get yourself killed!"

Wolfheart snarled and kicked up with her hind legs, throwing him off. She leapt to her feet and whirled to face him. "I'm not a kit! I can take care of myself. Now, I'm leaving, and I don't care if you like it or not!" She whipped around and stalked off.

Seconds later, she could hear him running to catch up. "If you're going, then so am I."

"Whatever works for you."

They trotted on in silence. Soon, they came to the Thunderpath.

"This is the place," mewed Wolfheart. She shivered slightly at the thought of those horrible Twolegs and their monster. She hoped that Shadowstorm wouldn't see it; she considered it to be a sign of weakness. He had noticed it, and pressed himself against her. As much as it annoyed her, Wolfheart was somewhat happy to know that he supported her, and buried her nose into his shoulder briefly.

"Which way do we go?" Shadowstorm asked quietly.

"This way," she answered, turning to the left. She shuddered again.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know, but I started this and I'm going to finish it." She pulled away, and her determination seemed to radiate off of her.

Shadowstorm looked down at her. "And that's why I fell in love with you."

Together, they ran along the edge of the Thunderpath that, they hoped, would take them to Icepaw and Solarpaw.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

Light filtered in through the branches of the warriors' den. Rockfire opened one orange eye, then the other. He yawned and stretched out his back.

"Good morning, Wolfheart," he mewed sleepily. A few moments went by without any response. "Look, I know I'm not your mentor anymore, but you should still answer me sometimes." Still no answer. He glanced over at her nest and stared at it. It took a few seconds for it to register that her nest was empty. He blinked and stretched out his nose to sniff at it. The scent was stale.

Worriedly, he ran out of the den. He saw Frostbite talking to Aquastar and Hawkwing. They turned to him as he padded over.

"Have any of you seen Wolfheart?" he asked, glancing around the camp. He saw Shadowfire coming up towards them.

"Shadowstorm's gone too," the older black warrior meowed.

"Wolfheart left last night," Frostbite said. "She went off in search of Solarpaw and Icepaw."

"Why didn't she ask for any help?" demanded Rockfire.

"We should go and see if we can catch up. She could need help!" said Swiftwind, who had been eavesdropping.

"No!" Frostbite said sharply. "This is a journey that was meant for only her. It was a fluke that Shadowstorm followed her. Don't worry about her. She'll be fine."

"Especially if Shadowstorm's with her," added Solarwind as she came over. "He's very loyal and protective of her. I think he'd rather become a kittypet before allowing any harm to come to Wolfheart."

Aquastar flicked her tail, calling the attention of the others to her. "Wolfheart is strong and clever, even alone. With another, she will be that much tougher. She knows when she is outmatched, and I doubt that she will take any unnecessary actions. We will let her and Shadowstorm search for now. If they aren't back when seven days have passed, then we will send out a search party. For now, we wait." With that, she turned and went back to her den.

"Don't worry about her. Wolfheart is the daughter of my brother, Moonseeker. If anyone can find them, she can," meowed Hawkwing, nodding. The small group started to drift apart for hunting or patrols. Only Rockfire remained.

"That is what you believe, but not me," he whispered.

-----

"Alright you two, up and at 'em!" meowed Ivy as she prodded the Clan cats.

Solarpaw opened one eye and glared at the light tan cat. "Why are you waking us up?" she growled.

"Because our chance to get out of here is coming up soon! In about five minutes, that door will open and a Twoleg will come in to feed us. When she opens the cage, we can get out!"

Icepaw stretched and started to wash herself. Solarpaw managed to push herself up into a sitting position. "If you've been here for so long, why haven't you tried to get out until now?"

"Believe me, I tried, but she could easily grab onto one cat. Now she'll have to face three of us," Ivy replied in a matter-of-fact voice.

Sure enough, the door to the room opened and a female Twoleg came in dragging several large bags. She opened each cage, dumped some hard pellets into the dish, and closed the cages again. "Ours is next. Get ready," whispered Ivy.

The Twoleg undid the lock on the cage and started to open it. "Now!" yowled Ivy. All three she-cats ran at the cage door, slamming into it. The combined weight forced the Twoleg to let go, and she had to stumble back to avoid getting hit in the face by the metal bars. Ivy ran towards the door with the others close behind. She jumped and her front paws landed on a silver ledge that stuck out of the door. They heard a click as the silver ledge turned, and the door swung open as if by magic. They bolted out and ran through another room filled with Twolegs and their kits. A few kits squealed and tried to grab them, but their parents held them back. The doors to the outside world opened and the Twolegs who had opened it had to jump out of the way as three streaks of fur practically flew out.

The cats raced across a Thunderpath as a monster narrowly missed running over them. They ran into an alley between two buildings and sat in the back of it panting. Suddenly, Ivy burst out laughing. "Did you see what we just did?!" Icepaw looked at her, then joined right in. Solarpaw stared at them, but she could feel relief and joy growing in her. It was the kind of feeling that just made her want to laugh. She gave into her urge and the three cats laughed until they were completely out of breath.

"You guys ready to go?" Ivy asked, still giggling.

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm hungry," meowed Solarpaw.

"So am I. Where can we find a good hunting place?" asked Icepaw.

"The best hunting spot I know of is on the other side of town," mewed Ivy, "but there is a great restaurant near here." She started off, with the other two in tow.

"What is a restaurant?" asked Icepaw.

"It's where Twolegs eat."

Solarpaw looked at Ivy in disgust. "You don't expect us to eat with Twolegs, do you?!"

"No, not at all. Us street cats raid the dumpsters. Ah, here we are." Ivy stopped in front of a big green box. All sorts of smells were coming from it. "Be back in a jiffy," she meowed. She sprang up the side of it, using bars on its side to climb it. She disappeared into it, and a few seconds later several small white boxes flew over the side and landed in front of them. One held something that vaguely smelled like a bird, and the other was full of an unidentifiable type of meat. Ivy jumped down from the top of the dumpster and looked at them expectantly. "Well? Eat up!"

"Before I do, I'd like to know what it is," meowed Solarpaw, fluffing herself up to try to make herself intimidating.

"First off, stop doing that. You look like a black dandelion puff," mewed Ivy, trying not to laugh. "Now, what we've got here is chicken and pork. They might taste a little weird because they're from a Chinese restaurant and they like to put strange spices on it, but it won't kill you. See?" She picked up a piece of pork and started to eat it.

Icepaw eyed the chicken. It looked good, and her stomach was so empty, but she didn't want to betray the warrior code. _Well, I'm not taking the food directly from Twolegs, so it has to be okay, right? _Finally, her stomach won the argument, and she grabbed a piece hungrily and started in on it. "Mmm. This is good. It's not as good as fresh-kill, but it's not bad either. Try it, Solarpaw."

She nudged a piece closer to her sister, who recoiled like from it like it was a snake. "I'm not eating it. It's Twoleg food!"

"You should probably eat. It might be the only thing we'll get for a while," Icepaw said gently. She looked at Ivy. "Am I right? After all, you're the expert when it comes to life out here."

"Yes. Street life is tough. You should take food where you can get it. Trust me on this one, I've learned the hard way."

"Fine. I'll eat it. But I just want you to know that I won't be happy about it," huffed Solarpaw. She took a bite and chewed it slowly. "You're right. It isn't so bad after all. But I still can't wait to get back to the forest and some real food."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The three she-cats padded through the big Twoleg place. They kept close to the Twoleg nests and tried to stay in the shadows.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Solarpaw asked for the hundredth time that day.

"Yes." Ivy's responses had grown shorter and shorter. Icepaw wasn't sure if the light brown she-cat was becoming tired of Solarpaw's unending questions or if she had something else on her mind. After thinking through it carefully, she decided to find out.

"Ivy, do you live out here all alone?"

Ivy glanced at her. "Yes. Most street cats avoid contact with others. It is rare that you see them together. Although there are exceptions to everything."

"What about your family? What were they like?"

Icepaw knew instantly that she had hit a nerve. Their guide became halted abruptly and turned to look at them. Her normally gentle green eyes became harsh and angry. "I have no family. I never knew my father, and my mother left us the day that our eyes opened. She decided she didn't need to take care of us anymore. After that it was just me and my sister."

Solarpaw, being her usual too-brave-for-her-own-good, asked, "And what happened to her?"

"Twolegs, that's what happened. They took her away, and turned her into a kittypet. I found her during one of my travels and asked her to come back with me, so things could be the way they used to be. But she shook her head and told me, 'It is better to be a kittypet. You get food every day, and a warm place to sleep. You think I am the foolish one for living with Twolegs, but the only fool here right now is YOU.' And that was the last I ever saw of her." Ivy's eyes were full of bitterness and sadness. She was blinking hard to keep back her tears.

Icepaw now knew why Ivy had stopped her attack on Solarpaw. The street cat's memories and pain must have forced her to back down. The white she-cat felt bad for bringing this up, and she didn't know how to make Ivy feel better. So she did the only thing she could. Icepaw pressed her side against Ivy.

Ivy looked at her with sorrowful eyes. "I envy you. You have a sister who still loves you, and you have a Clan to support you. Those are things I'd give anything for."

Solarpaw blinked. She couldn't imagine what that must have been like. She stepped forward and touched noses with Ivy the same way she did whenever her own sister felt bad. "Come with us. You can join our Clan. We could even be like sisters, all three of us."

"Of course, we'd have to ask Aquastar if you could join, but I'm sure she won't mind," added Icepaw. She glanced at her sister with warmth. For once Solarpaw was actually thinking about someone other than herself!

Ivy closed her eyes and sighed. After she had collected herself, she nodded. "It would be great to join you, but I don't know much about your life there."

"That's okay," meowed Solarpaw, "we'll teach you all about it on the way there. Let's go."

-----

Wolfheart pushed through the underbrush near the Thunderpath. She could hear Shadowstorm crashing through after her, calling to her to stop and wait for him. _Not that I will_, she thought to herself with a smile. She started to move faster, just to annoy him. Suddenly, he yowled in fear. Wolfheart whirled and raced back to Shadowstorm. Bursting from the bushes, she saw that three very large, very nasty looking wolves had him cornered.

"_Looks like we'll be having lunch early," _snarled the biggest. His comrades laughed with him as they advanced.

"_Don't you dare!" _Wolfheart howled at them. Shadowstorm looked at her in surprise. He knew of her wolf-speak gift, but he had never seen, or rather heard, her use it before.

It clearly took the wolves by surprise too, but their brown leader recovered quickly. _"How nice, an appetizer. You two have foolishly stumbled onto our territory-"_

"_Wrong, Darkforest, this is MountainPack territory. I suggest you leave now," _growled a deep voice. The Clan cats turned to see a patrol of four burly wolves. The speaker was a gray wolf, one of his ears was torn and scars crisscrossed his muzzle.

At one glance, Darkforest's followers turned tail and fled. But the brown wolf refused to leave. _"Too bad. I'm taking this territory, and there is nothing you can do to stop me," _he snarled. He flattened his ears and parted his lips to reveal long fangs.

Wolfheart pressed herself against Shadowstorm. She had never seen two wolves this angry before, not even during the battle against the bears. Shadowstorm had no idea of what was being said, but the way the two wolf leaders were snarling, he knew what was going to happen next couldn't be good.

Darkforest was growling, challenging the gray wolf. But the gray merely blinked at the brown wolf. He was waiting for Darkforest to make his move. Darkforest feinted several times, snapping and snarling, but the big gray didn't even flinch. Then, Darkforest sprang at him, teeth and eyes flashing. The gray held his ground. At the last second, he jumped left and swung his head around, locking his jaws on the shoulder of his opponent. The brown wolf howled in pain and pulled away. The gray let him go, and resumed his waiting. Shadowstorm had to admire the patience of this scarred wolf. He would've simply attacked instead of giving his opponent a chance to get away. The brown renewed his attack and sprang for the gray's throat. The gray twisted around, and while Darkforest's teeth missed him, his fangs buried into the brown alpha's neck. Darkforest whined and struggled to get away. The gray wolf held him there for a few moments, and then released him. Darkforest sprinted back into the forest, his ears flat, his tail tucked between his legs.

The gray alpha's pack attempted to give chase, but he merely held up his tail and the wolves stayed put. He then turned to the cats. Despite all the ugliness of the injuries on his face, the gray wolf had the most amazing eyes. His golden eyes were deep and held a wisdom that he could only have gained from many years of life. _"And what manner of cat has the ability to speak in our words?"_ he said.

His voice was rough and growly, but it was kind as well. It gave Wolfheart the courage to speak up. _"I am Wolfheart, and this is Shadowstorm," _she replied, brushing the tip of her tail against the black tom' shoulder. _"We are warriors of MysticClan."_

"Ah, we have heard of your Clan, and of your aide to Blackfire's son. FirePack have told us of your adventures. I am Tallmountain, leader of MountainPack. Unless I am mistaken, you Clan cats are a long way from home."

"We apologize for trespassing, but we are looking for two missing cats. They were taken away by Twolegs, and we are going to find them to bring them home."

"Do not apologize, for you have done nothing wrong. It was Darkforest and his wolves that were trespassing. You have free passage as long as you stay towards the edge of the territory. Some of my Pack would not take kindly to finding you on our land. Now go and find your young ones."

Wolfheart dipped her head to the MountainPack leader. "Thank you, Tallmountain. I hope that we meet once more on the return journey."

"Farewell, my feline friend!" The gray alpha flicked his tail, and the wolves trotted back into the forest. Tallmountain lingered for a moment longer before following.

"What just happened?" Shadowstorm asked.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all," Wolfheart mewed as she nipped his ear. She trotted off with Shadowstorm in tow.

In all the commotion, neither cat had noticed the orange eyes that glared at the black warrior.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

_Rain was falling hard. Flashes of lightning lit up the sky, and claps of thunder shook the ground. Rain blurred her vision, but did she see cats? Yes…yes she did! There were three of them, coming slowly up the bank. They tried to place their paws carefully on the soaked ground, but one of them made a mistake. The watcher looked on in horror as the bank crumbled and two of the cats, one black and one white, fell into the rushing river._

-----

Emberflame's eyes shot open. That dream was so terrifying, so vivid. But was it a dream at all? What if her visions had started up again? But this was strange: she was not observing it herself; she was seeing it through another cat's eyes. Emberflame dreaded what it meant. She didn't even want to think about it.

She got up and padded out of the warriors' den. Two days had passed since Wolfheart and Shadowstorm had gone in search of the missing apprentices. Hawkwing was giving out assignments for border and hunting patrols. She padded over to receive her assignment.

The black and brown tom looked up at her. "Good timing, Emberflame. I want you and Rockfire to go on a border patrol. Hey, speaking of Rockfire, where is he?" The orange she-cat glanced around. The deputy was right, Rockfire was nowhere around.

"I don't know. I thought he was already up," she meowed.

"He got up in the middle of the night. I know that because he stepped on me twice," growled Swiftwind. "I didn't see, or feel, him come back."

Nightrain quickly ran along the border of the camp, and then returned. "I caught his scent along that edge, but it was stale," he said, nodding to the side that was closest to the Thunderpath.

Blackstone's eyes widened. "Then that means he went after Wolfheart and Shadowstorm!"

"I gave him specific orders not to do that," snarled a new voice. The group turned to see Aquastar standing rigidly, her hackles raised. "He deliberately disobeyed my orders."

"Should we go after him?" Hawkwing asked.

"No. I cannot afford to loose any more of my warriors to this cat-hunt. We will wait the remaining five days before sending any more cats in search of them. Do NOT attempt to leave," she growled, fixing her gaze on each cat in turn. They nodded, and she stalked off.

Hawkwing sighed. "Aquastar doesn't like it very much when she is disobeyed, does she?"

-----

Wolfheart pushed through the underbrush and froze. Shadowstorm, who was too busy watching a cricket to notice, bumped into her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Then he saw what had caused her to stop. The Thunderpath broke into two branches. One continued straight on, and the other veered to the right.

"Now how are we supposed to find them?" Wolfheart cried. A wave of hopelessness washed over her.

"Perhaps you should've let a real warrior help you instead of this scrap of fur," growled a voice. Both cats whirled to see a gray tom with black spots approach them from the bushes. His orange eyes glinted angrily.

"Rockfire, what are you doing here?" meowed a surprised Wolfheart.

"Really, Wolfheart, I am offended that you would ask this inexperienced cat to help you instead of your own mentor," Rockfire snarled, advancing on Shadowstorm.

The black tom stepped forward, equally angry. "Don't you dare accuse her of something she didn't do! I followed by my own choice, Wolfheart had nothing to do with it!" he hissed.

The growling toms circled each other. Wolfheart watched in horror as Rockfire sprang. Shadowstorm rolled out of the way and stood facing the older warrior. They snarled at each other, looking for the other's weak spot. The dark brown warrior suddenly regained her mobility and thrust herself between the battlers before either could make a new assault.

"Enough!" she yowled, startling both toms into silence. "If you two are going to act like kits, then I'm going on alone! I'm not going to play babysitter for a couple of 1-month-olds! So either you two get along or go home!" With that, she turned and stalked off in a huff.

The toms blinked at the she-cat. Rockfire shot Shadowstorm a smug look and caught up to her. He attempted to press his side against hers, but she violently pulled away from him. Shadowstorm approached Wolfheart from the other side. She welcomed him much more warmly, wrapping her tail around his. Both of them ignored Rockfire's glare.

-----

Ivy, Icepaw, and Solarpaw rounded yet another corner. To the Clan cats, every 'street' and 'house', as Ivy called them, looked the same. But the light brown she-cat led them on fearlessly. Each of her paw steps seemed to be as sure as theirs would be in the forest.

Solarpaw and Icepaw were worn out from walking all day. The rough ground bit into their pads, and their legs were sore. Ivy seemed to be immune to it, or she was just very good at ignoring it. A distant rumble of thunder brought them to a halt.

"That can't be good," mewed Solarpaw.

"Ivy, do you know where we can find shelter?" asked Icepaw. Thunder growled at them again.

"It sounds like it is going to be a bad storm. Well, good news and bad news. Good news is that there is a good place for shelter nearby. Bad news is you aren't going to like it," she meowed in reply.

"Why not?" asked Icepaw.

"Because you're looking at it."

The Clan cats looked up at a blue Twoleg house. "You kidding, right?" Solarpaw meowed in disbelief.

"Nope, we're spending the night in there." Ivy started off toward it.

"Won't the Twolegs who live there catch us?" Icepaw asked.

"No, because they won't be the ones letting us in. They aren't even home right now." Ivy jumped onto a metal object in front of a clear thing set into the wall of the house. The Clan cats followed her and looked in. Inside, there was a cage, but this one looking much nicer than the ones they had been in. It was right next to the clear surface on top of a strange wooden object.

"Cover your ears," she meowed. Then she unsheathed her claws and dragged them across the clear surface. A horrible screeching noise came from it. Inside, a very annoyed squeal answered it.

A furry head popped up from inside the cage. It resembled a rat's, but it had larger, almost floppy ears. It had tan fur with a white stripe going from its nose all the way up its face. It looked rather irritated, but it walked, waddled really, towards the door of its cage. It pushed it up, waddled out, and came over to the window. It had a well-rounded, fat body without a tail. The rest of its body was also tan, with an exception of a white ruff around its neck. Its front legs were much shorter then its hind legs. It stood up with its forepaws of the clear surface and nosed at a latch. It pushed the latch up, unlocking the clear surface, which swung open just as the rain started to come down.

Icepaw was the first one in, closely followed by her sister. Ivy jumped in last, turned around, and grabbed the latch with her paw. She pulled the clear surface closed again and locked into place. She then turned to the creature sitting on the table looking up at her. "Um, hi, I brought some friends," Ivy said, looking slightly sheepish.

The creature glared at her. "You do realize I was napping, right? Why do I always have to do this for you?" it squeaked irritably. Icepaw and Solarpaw were surprised by the fact that they could understand it even though it looked more like something they would eat.

"Uh…because you love me? Come on, don't hold any grudges against me!"

"Fine. Well, aren't you going to at least introduce me to your friends?"

Oh, yeah. This is Icepaw" –she pointed with her tail at the white cat- "and this is Solarpaw." –she indicated the other. "Guys, I would like you to meet Toffee."

"What is it?" Solarpaw asked, poking at her. "It looks like fresh-kill." To her surprise, 'Toffee' bit her paw. "Ye-ouch!"

"I am a guinea pig, and I refuse to be treated this way, Ivy," she squealed, glaring daggers at the intruding cats.

"Look, I'm sorry, but can't we stay here for at least tonight?" Ivy asked.

The guinea pig sighed. "Fine. Just don't make a mess of the place. You know the usual rules. Now, I'm going back to my nap, and this time I better not be woken up!" Toffee waddled back to her cage, lifted the door with her nose, crawled in, and curled up in the corner. Her eyes closed to slits, but they didn't close all the way.

Ivy motioned with her tail for the Clan cats to follow her. They jumped down from the wooden object and onto the soft blue-gray ground. They padded out into a room with a wooden floor.

"Don't worry about it, guys. She's always a little grumpy when she gets woken up. She'll be in a better mood later on," Ivy mewed softly.

"She bit my paw!" Solarpaw complained.

"And it was your own fault, too," Icepaw replied.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 

Solarpaw was sniffing around the different rooms that were in the Twoleg nest. There were so many different smells in each of them that her head hurt. She came across Icepaw in one with a cold floor. She was staring up at a tall white box, covered with large square leaf-like things with different designs on each. Some were of flowers and bugs. But some were animals. She recognized a squirrel, a mouse, a guinea pig that was clearly supposed to be Toffee, and one of a cat. A chill emanated from the giant box.

"What do you suppose it is?" the white cat asked.

"It's called a refrigerator," Ivy meowed. "Twolegs use it to store their food."

"They eat it cold?" mewed Solarpaw.

"No. They cook it using that." She nodded to a black thing. The front of it was polished so they could see their own reflection. "Meat, vegetables, all sorts of stuff.

"Now I, on the other hand, prefer my food fresh and cold." They turned to see Toffee sitting on the floor, her bright eyes fixed on the refrigerator. "Ivy, do you think you could get it open?"

"Sure I can. You know I've done it plenty of times." The light brown she-cat sprung at the handle on the door. She hooked her forepaws around it and braced her hind paws on the wall. She pushed against it, and the door popped open. Cold air streamed from it. As she jumped down, she passed in front of the picture of the cat. The Clan cats' eyes widened.

"Ivy, it's you!" meowed Icepaw in surprise.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it is. I met the Twoleg kit that lives here some time ago. In fact, she was the one who first started letting me in." Ivy said all this while opening another box that was in the refrigerator. "How many do you want, Toffee?"

"Oh, only two. I don't want to rouse any suspicion," wheeked the guinea pig.

"Coming up." Ivy pulled out two large lettuce leaves and dropped them on the floor. As she set about closing everything up again, the rodent waddled to it and started eating. Her little jaws worked fast; faster than the Clan cats could imagine.

"Don't the Twolegs ever feed you?" asked Solarpaw.

"Oh, they feed me plenty, but I'm a guinea pig. We eat a lot. Let's face it, 'pig' is in the name," she squeaked in between bites.

"Ivy, tell us more about the Twoleg. Why would it do this?" prompted Icepaw.

"Well, it started a while back, on a night like this one," Ivy started, curling her tail around herself as she settled down. The Clan cats crouched down eager to hear her story. "It was raining hard, and it was one of my first nights alone without my sister. I came across this house. I was cold, wet, hungry, and lonely. I climbed up to the window-"

"Wait, what's a window?" interrupted Solarpaw.

"It's the thing we came in through. Anyway, I saw a young Twoleg female sitting with Toffee in her lap. You were a lot smaller back then," she added with a glance at the guinea pig, which had already finished the first piece of lettuce and had started on the second piece.

"Eh, so were you."

"True enough. I envied how snuggled up they were, all cozy and warm. My mind drifted back to when my sister and I would curl up together. What brought me back out was when the Twoleg grabbed me with her paws. She wasn't rough with me, not like others had been, but picked me up and brought me inside. She went away and came back with a warm towel and a bowl of milk for me. I didn't want her to touch me, and she didn't attempt to. Apparently her parents weren't home. The next morning, she left the window open so I could leave. I came back often when she was here alone."

"Why? I thought you didn't like Twolegs," meowed Solarpaw.

"That's simple. I was lonely. I needed companionship. Remember how I told you some street cats would live in groups? That's how we lived, my sister and I. Since she was gone, I needed to be close to somebody again. That's how I became such good friends with Toffee."

"I had just been taken away from my litter mates when Ivy stopped in for a visit. I needed a friend too, and we just hit it off. Together, we figured out how to open the window so she could come back anytime to see me," wheeked the guinea pig. She sniffed the ground in hopes of finding some leftover piece of lettuce she missed. She didn't.

"It's getting late. We should probably get some rest," mewed Ivy.

"Should we worry about the Twolegs coming back?" asked Icepaw.

"No, they've gone away for the weekend," replied Toffee, who was already heading off back to her cage.

The cats followed her. When they reached the room, the guinea pig settled down. "I think I'll spend the night down here."

Ivy curled herself around Toffee. She began to share tongues with her. Toffee purred much in the same way a cat would. Icepaw and Solarpaw settled down near them. The pitter-patter of the rain outside soon lulled them to sleep.

"Ivy?" wheeked Toffee.

"Yes?"

"Are you going to go away with them?"

Ivy felt her heart torn in two ways. "I won't lie to you. I want to. I have been looking for a place where I belong. I'm hoping that I will find it with their Clan."

"I will miss you."

"So will I."

"Will you and the others stay for one more night? Just one more day? It's lonely without my owner."

Ivy's green eyes glittered in the dark. "I will discuss it with them. I hope I will be able to stay one more night."

"That is all I can ask for," purred the guinea pig sleepily.

-----

The next morning came. There were only four days left for the missing cats to return home.

The night of the half-moon had arrived. Frostbite and Solarwind were preparing to leave for Fire Mouth. Just as the sun started to set, they set off, nodding to Aquastar as they went by. As soon as they exited the camp, the medicine cats picked up an easy run.

They continued on to the meeting place in silence. When they reach the old gnarled tree that served as the waiting point for the medicine cats, Littleflame was already there, sitting alone. The red-gold she-cat dipped her head in greeting. "Hello, Solarwind, Frostpaw."

"Actually, it is now Frostbite," Solarwind meowed, glancing proudly at her apprentice.

"I see. Well done, but you do realize that a medicine cat never stops learning, right?"

Frostbite nodded. "Yes, and I am anxious to know more. Look, Waterlily is coming."

She nodded to the well-worn path as the gray and white she-cat padded up to them. "Greetings. Dandelionpuff and Whitepaw are coming right now. I spotted them through the trees."

Sure enough, the SunClan cats came out of the forest. The creamy-white she-cat dipped her head in greeting. "Shall we go?"

The other cats nodded and together they set off to the ancient mountain. Whitepaw fell back to walk next to Frostbite.

"How have you been?" he asked.

I am well. I received my name, Frostbite," she replied, hoping he wouldn't become jealous.

But she didn't need to worry. "Congratulations. With any luck I will be relieving my own name soon."

From there on they traveled in silence. When they reached the mountain, they waited for moon-high. As soon as the moon appeared over the top of the mountain, they went inside. Frostbite felt a wave of peace wash over her. All the stress she had been under seemed to be carried away as though her warrior ancestors were helping her bear the burden. The warm glowing walls of the cave were comforting. As the medicine cats entered the cavern, they each took their place at the base of the onyx. They touched their noses to it. Frostbite felt the gentle heat and the biting cold of the stone flow through her as she drifted into her dreams.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing on the bank of a fast flowing river. She could see a figure standing on the other side of it. It had a dark pelt, but a white spot on its chest stood out. _Wolfheart!_ Her sister was looking upward. She followed her gaze to see an icicle and a star falling towards the water. Surely the currents would destroy them. Both she-cats watched as they fell, but before they landed in the river, an ivy leaf caught them. The leaf then floated, without being pushed around by the currents or slamming against rocks, to Wolfheart, who dipped her paw in and scooped all three up.

A warm scent washed over her. Frostbite recognized it immediately as her father's. _Do not fear for the missing apprentices. Sky and winter will be rescued by summer, _he whispered in her ear.

**In case you are wondering, that wonderful guinea pig is indeed real. Toffee is my pig, of whom I live to bits, and I just had to put her into one of my stories. **


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

Solarpaw padded restlessly around the Twoleg nest. The curiosity of it all had left her and now she was just irritated about having to stay in a cramped place.

"Why can't we leave yet?" she meowed at Icepaw.

Icepaw looked up from where she was laying on the floor. "Because Ivy wants to spend one more night with Toffee."

"But why?" the black she-cat wailed.

"Because this may be the last time she ever sees her friend. Show some compassion, you callous fur ball!"

Solarpaw hissed quietly but did nothing. She stalked off for one more round through the nest.

_I swear_, thought Icepaw,_ if she asks that one more time, I will personally claw her fur off._

Ivy and Toffee were currently in the young Twoleg's room. They had curled up together on her bed, looking at the pictures, statues, and other items strewn throughout the room.

"It's going to be rather boring without you around," wheeked the guinea pig.

Ivy glanced down at her. "Yeah, you won't have me to growl at anymore," she purred.

Toffee mock-sighed. "I know. Now I won't have anyone to gripe at."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find some poor defenseless creature to talk the ears off of."

"Hopefully someone as gullible as you," Toffee churred, nipping at the cat's paw.

"I'll ignore that remark."

"Whatever makes you happy."

-----

Night had fallen. All of the animals had gathered in the room with Toffee's cage.

Toffee looked up at Solarpaw and Icepaw. "Thanks for staying another night."

Icepaw slapped her tail over Solarpaw's mouth. "It was nothing. We probably need the extra rest for the rest of the journey."

The guinea pig nodded. "You two are pretty cool. You're welcome here anytime," she chutted.

"I don't we'll need to take you up on that offer," Solarpaw meowed crankily. Icepaw bit her sister's ear. "Oww! Okay, okay! We'll keep the offer in mind. Now why did you bite me?!"

Toffee ignored the argument that broke out between the Clan cats and waddled over to her dear friend. "Last night here," she wheeked.

"Yup." Ivy curled herself around the guinea pig. "I'll try to come for visits, I promise."

"Don't worry about it. I know that where you belong is with these cats. I can see it in your eyes. Don't argue with me. It's okay, you have to follow where your heart takes you."

"Thank you," Ivy purred. "I'll never forget about you."

"I know. Good night, Ivy."

-----

"Guys, wake up!" screeched the guinea pig. "We over slept! I just heard my Twolegs' car pull up. You have to get out of here now!"

Ivy was up in a flash. She sprang up onto the table. Toffee scramble up after her and scurried into her cage. Ivy undid the latch and Icepaw and Solarpaw leapt out. Ivy hung back.

"Sorry we don't have much time for a real good-bye, but I'll miss you!" she meowed.

"So will I! Now go! They just came in!" screamed the guinea pig.

A shriek from a Twoleg came from the door. Ivy looked to see two grown Twolegs and the kit coming into the room. Ivy jumped through the window and bolted down the street. She looked over her shoulder long enough to see her friend standing up at the cage bars. She nodded to Toffee and continued on after the Clan cats.

-----

Wolfheart opened her jaws and breathed in the air. "There's another storm coming," she meowed, looking back at the toms. They, or rather she, had decided to take the path that veered right. She could hear the faint flow of a river some distance off, but her major concern at the moment were the darkening clouds on the horizon.

Shadowstorm shivered as a particularly strong gust of wind blew by. "It's going to hit us pretty soon," he mewed.

"Well, if you're so scared, why don't you turn back?" sneered Rockfire.

Wolfheart whirled around and slashed at the older warrior with her claws unsheathed. Rockfire pulled out of the way just in time. "Will you just back off?" she snarled. "What has gotten into you? Where did my wise mentor go?"

Rockfire's gaze shifted away from her nervously. Wolfheart sighed and turned back to the Thunderpath. "We should find shelter. Let's move it," she mewed.

She picked up a swift trot. Each stride brought her closer to that river, and that made her move even faster. If the storm came up before they got to the river, the water would become too high and too dangerous to cross. Even worse, the storm was coming towards them, which meant that it would reach the river before them.

-----

"Come on guys, we have to move," meowed Ivy. The storm was coming up behind them, and it was moving fast. "We have to get out of the town and across the river before the storm hits."

"We have to cross a river?" mewled Solarpaw. "I don't want to get wet!"

"We'll get even more wet if we don't move it!" snapped Ivy. Up ahead she could see the outskirts of town. And after that, nothing but open space. What would it be like? She had never been outside of the town. Her world had always been made up of buildings and streets. She had no idea of what it would be like to hunt in a forest or sleep in a den.

Ivy slowed down and looked back over her shoulder. Right now she wanted nothing more than to go back to the blue house, the place where her dearest friend was. She already missed Toffee terribly. She would do anything, even become a kittypet, if she could stay where she grew up, to remain in the only place that she had ever called home.

But still, the forest was tugging at her heart. She knew that the street-life, although it was all she had ever known, was not where she belonged. She had often dreamed of the outside world, but she was always too afraid to go. Yet here was her chance, and now she wanted to turn back! _Just pick a place to be, Ivy._

Ivy looked ahead of her. She nodded slightly. That was where she was going. It was where she had to go. Ivy started to run. Behind them came the first roll of thunder.

-----

Wolfheart was moving faster and faster. She could see the outline of a Twolegplace up ahead. But the thing that worried her was the river that she could now plainly see.

"What's that?" meowed Shadowstorm. On the Thunderpath were lights, and they were coming towards the MysticClan warriors.

Rockfire's eyes opened wide. "Monster!" he yowled. All the cats jumped off onto the side of the Thunderpath and hid. The Monster growled but passed them. Wolfheart looked up ahead. She could see more of the Monsters coming, a whole line of them!

"We have to stay on the side of the Thunderpath. There's a whole pack of those Monsters coming. Keep moving!" Wolfheart yowled over the wind.

But their luck worsened as the first raindrop of the storm land on the ground beside them.

-----

Ivy, Icepaw, and Solarpaw had just left the town as the storm hit. Ivy heard the roar of cars behind her and ushered her travel companions off of the road as the first one flew by. It was shortly followed by another and another.

"Ivy, what is going on?" mewed Icepaw.

"It's the five o'clock rush hour. We're going to have to stay off the road from now on."

They veered away from the road and ran through a field. Ivy had never run through such tall grass and was slowed down by it considerably. As they got closer to the river, the grass started to thin out and was replaced by sand.

Ivy stopped short just as they reached the edge of the river, causing Solarpaw to slide into her.

"Hey!" Solarpaw meowed. "What's wrong?"

"The river's too high, isn't it?" mewed Icepaw.

"Yes. We have to find a shallower part. Come on, this way," Ivy called to them over the roar of the river.

-----

Thunder shook the earth as the cats started to run. The warrior cats kept close to the brush at the side of the Thunderpath. They were approaching the river swiftly. Wolfheart sped up even more.

"Wolfheart, slow down! I can't see through the rain!" yowled Rockfire.

Shadowstorm struggled to keep up, his sleek black pelt now splotched with dark brown mud. "Wolfheart, wait up!"

But Wolfheart refused to slow down. Terror filled her. Something horrible was going to happen, she could sense it.

She could now see the river. With each stride its clarity grew. Now she could see the shapes on the other side of it. Some were reeds being blown by the wind or sticks caught up in the current. But what caught her attention the most were three objects going against the wind on the opposite side of the river. She was having trouble picking out the colors but she was certain that one was brown, one was white, and the last was black.

She was now close enough to see that they were cats. The black and the white must be Icepaw and Solarpaw! She was certain of it. Her heart soared, but instantly dropped as the river bank gave way and the missing apprentices fell into the fast-flowing river.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

"Ivy!" shrieked Icepaw as she fell into the water. The icy torrents dragged her under. She paddled frantically for the surface, but the water was pushing her around so much she couldn't tell which way led to the surface.

Icepaw felt something brush against her and caught a glimpse of Solarpaw being pushed downstream by the wild river, her green eyes blazing with terror. Icepaw realized that she too was being swept away. A flash of lightning cut through the murky depths of the water, and Icepaw fought her way towards it. She broke into the cold air and cried out for help before being dragged under again.

Ivy whirled around when she heard her name being called, but her friends weren't behind her. She saw the fresh earth where the bank had fallen away. Horror gripped her heart. "Icepaw? Solarpaw?" she yowled, her eyes desperately searching the river. A flash of soaked white fur caught her attention. Icepaw!

"I'm coming!" Ivy cried as she flung herself into the water. The shock of the frigid water stunned her for a moment, and she felt herself being pulled under. Ivy struggled to keep her head above the water, knowing that if she drowned she wouldn't be any help to anyone. She swam towards where she had seen Icepaw, the swift currents lending her speed. But she couldn't see either cat.

Praying that she wasn't about to do something extremely foolish, Ivy ducked her head under the water. She couldn't see Icepaw, but Solarpaw was pressed up against a submerged rock by the current. Ivy bobbed her head up to grab a breath of air before plunging down again. She swam downward, then twisted around and braced herself for when she hit the rock. It jarred her entire body, but she ignored the pain and crawled down it and latched her jaws around Solarpaw's neck. Ivy pulled the still form upward, pushed off from the rock, and started swimming.

Ivy burst out of the water with Solarpaw clutched in her teeth. She aimed herself towards an upcoming rock and grabbed it with her claws unsheathed. She pulled herself and Solarpaw up onto it. Making sure that Solarpaw wasn't going to be swept away again, Ivy plunged back into the water to look for Icepaw.

-----

"NO!" yowled Wolfheart as she raced forward through the driving rain. She saw the brown cat jump in after the apprentices and vanish beneath the raging water. It popped up again with a black form held in her mouth. The cat placed Solarpaw on a rock before going back into the river.

Wolfheart raced on and plunged into the river. The wild currents pushed her this way and that, but she swam against it, trying to reach the rock where Solarpaw was lying. Wolfheart was terrified by how still the young cat was. _Please don't let her be dead_, she prayed to StarClan.

Wolfheart slammed against the rock and was momentarily dazed by the impact. She clung to the rock and heaved herself up onto it. Looking down at Solarpaw, she saw the cat's sides moving. She was alive! "Hang on just a little bit longer," she whispered to Solarpaw as she picked her up.

Wolfheart leapt back into the river. She swam towards the shore, but she was already exhausted and the added weight was making it harder to swim. She half allowed herself to be dragged along, though she was still trying to get to the riverbank. Suddenly the weight Solarpaw was adding lessened. Wolfheart flicked her icy blue eyes to the right to meet the dark brown ones of Shadowstorm. He too held Solarpaw's limp body, adding his strength to the struggle against the river.

Together they fought their way to the bank. Shadowstorm Leapt onto it and started to pull Solarpaw out of the river. Wolfheart clung to the bank, pushing the apprentice up. Just as Solarpaw was dragged ashore, Wolfheart strength gave out, and she was pulled away from the shore, back into the deathly clutches of the river.

-----

Ivy glanced over her shoulder to see if Solarpaw was still on the rock. To her surprise a dark brown cat with a white splotch on its chest was there with her friend. Ivy had to believe that this cat was going to help Solarpaw, and turned back to the search for Icepaw. Furiously she looked for a patch of white fur, but the only thing white she could see was that of the churning water. Up ahead there was a large tree limb floating in the river. When Ivy saw it, her heart leapt for joy. Clinging to its branches was Icepaw.

Ivy swam even harder for it and managed to catch up to it. "Ivy, where's Solarpaw?" cried the white she-cat over the roar of the river.

Ivy grabbed onto a branch next to Icepaw. "The last time I saw her, she was on a rock. A dark brown cat with white on its chest was with her," Ivy called back.

A thin smile tugged at Icepaw's mouth. "That's Wolfheart. She'll now how to save Solarpaw."

"And while she's doing that, let's get you back on solid ground, too!" yelled a deep male voice. Turning to see who it was, Ivy came face to face with a gray cat with black spots. His orange eyes glowed with determination.

"Rockfire!" Icepaw meowed joyfully. All three cats clung to the branch and started swimming towards shore. The branch helped to keep them afloat, but it also slowed them down horribly. They weren't quite strong enough to move it to the shore, but they refused to let go of it out of the fear of being pulled under.

Ivy closed her eyes wondering if this was going to be the end of her journey when she felt the branch jump a little bit and then start moving against the current. She looked around to see a black tom holding the other end of the branch. "Let's go!" he yowled.

"Shadowstorm, where's Wolfheart?" Rockfire yelled.

-----

Wolfheart could feel herself going under, but she couldn't muster the strength to even lift a paw to save her life. She knew that she had vowed to do anything to save the apprentices, but she hadn't thought about the fact that she might have to die…again. Memories flooded back to her. Her mother, Skysong, her sisters--she wasn't even going to get the chance to say good-bye--, becoming an apprentice, her friends in FirePack, especially Grayfrost, the fight with bears, her first 'death.' She knew that she really died then, her father, Moonseeker, had told her that. Still, she wondered if things would look the same as they had then. She hardly noticed the strong jaws that closed around her.

But she did notice them. Suddenly she was in the air again. She was moving to shore. Someone was carrying her high above the water. Her paws barely skimmed the top of it. She blacked out.

When she came to, she was aware of lying on wet sand. It was still raining hard, she could hear it, but she couldn't feel it. A tall figure stood over her, shielding her from the wind and rain. It brought its old, scarred face near to hers. She looked into those deep, gentle golden eyes. _"Rest now. You are safe with me,"_ murmured Tallmountain.

"Shadowstorm?" she croaked.

"_He is helping the others."_

"Go…" she whispered just as the world slipped away again.

-----

Shadowstorm tugged at the tree limb as hard as he could. Was it his imagination, or were they picking up speed? The roar of the river intensified, and he realized what it was with dread. They were headed straight for a waterfall. "Guys, swim harder!" he cried.

Ivy, Rockfire, and Icepaw struggled, but the cold water had numbed their limbs so much that they could hardly move. Ivy looked across at the shore. A large gray shape was charging along it towards them. It had a dog-like shape, but it was far bigger than any dog she had ever seen before. A wolf! As soon as it was along side of them, it leapt into the river. It easily made it to them and grabbed onto the branch.

"Tallmountain!" mewed Shadowstorm. The old wolf nodded his head slightly.

And then Tallmountain pulled at the tree limb. He was strong enough that the cats ended up getting dragged through the water without having to lift a whisker to swim. As soon as their paws hit sand, they sprang up out of the water and onto the shore. A black cat was coming towards them, half running and half staggering.

"Solarpaw!" meowed Icepaw as she raced to her sister. The instant she reached Solarpaw, Icepaw nuzzled her sister, overjoyed and amazed that they had survived.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting someone?" Ivy mewed with a wry smile.

Shadowstorm, after making sure everyone was safe, raced up the shoreline. The old wolf trotted leisurely behind the black warrior, his long strides carrying him almost as swiftly as the cat was moving.

Shadowstorm saw her outlined against the sand. He slowed and stopped a few paces away. He remembered how she had vanished beneath the surface of the water. He hadn't noticed at first because he was making sure Solarpaw was safe. But then he realized she wasn't next to him. He was about to go back in for her when the apprentice had woken up. He was torn two ways: helping his love or caring for Solarpaw. He knew that Wolfheart would have wanted him to care for Solarpaw, but he didn't want to lose Wolfheart. That was when Tallmountain had shown up and jumped into the river. He saved Wolfheart and then watched over the two cats while Shadowstorm went after the others. It had surprised him when the alpha wolf showed up, but he was still grateful.

Shadowstorm padded forward and gently nudged Wolfheart's shoulder. The she-cat's eyes fluttered open. She turned her head, and her nose brushed against Shadowstorm's. "Glad to see your alright," he mewed.

Wolfheart pressed her muzzle into his side. "Same goes for you."


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 

"I'm fine!" Wolfheart meowed, exasperated with the toms.

"But you nearly drowned!" Shadowstorm mewed. He and Rockfire had both been trying to get the she-cat to let one of them help her walk or at least to get her to rest more often.

"And so did you!" she snapped back. "When I say I'm fine, I mean it. And I won't be having you two try to take care of me! I'm not a helpless kit anymore!"

"Is she always like this?" Ivy muttered to Solarpaw. Unlike the warrior, she had accepted the help of Icepaw and Solarpaw. She now walked between them, letting them both take on some of her weight.

"She's a nice cat, really," insisted Icepaw.

"She just hates having others worry about her," added Solarpaw with a snigger.

Tallmountain walked beside them. The old wolf watched Wolfheart silently. Ivy had the sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly what was going on, although his face didn't show it.

Wolfheart looked over her shoulder at the street cat. Her ice blue eyes were hard, and Ivy flinched beneath her gaze. Wolfheart's eyes softened as she mewed, "So, you want to join the Clan?"

Ivy nodded. "I know I'm not Clan born, but I'll do my best to learn how to live like a Clan cat. Can I join?"

Wolfheart seemed to consider for a moment before replying. "The decision is up to Aquastar, but I have no problem with you becoming MysticClan's newest apprentice. And after she hears about our little adventure, I doubt that she'll refuse."

"We have to hurry then," Rockfire meowed. "Aquastar only gave you seven days to return. That means there's only two days left to get back by."

"And it took us five days to get here," added Shadowstorm. "Aquastar will send out a search party soon."

"Perfect," Wolfheart quietly snarled.

-----

Night had fallen, but the group kept moving. The had taken rests throughout the day and planned to continue the same way, trying to get home as quickly as possible so Aquastar wouldn't have to send a search party.

"_Wolfheart,"_ Tallmountain said. The she-cat stopped and looked at the alpha. _"The border to my territory is here. Though I wish I could continue on with you, I must return to my pack. I have left them without a leader for long enough."_

"_I understand. I wish you luck on your way home. I hope that we will meet again someday."_

The tall wolf stooped down and touched his nose to hers. _"Yes, someday. Good-bye, little Wolfheart." _He turned away and pushed through the bushes at the side of the Thunderpath and vanished.

Wolfheart breathed in deeply, taking in the wolf's scent for one last time as the wind pulled it away. "Let's keep moving," she mewed. But with the next paw step she took, she tripped and would have fallen right onto her nose if Shadowstorm hadn't caught her.

"No, we should rest," he said firmly but gently. He nudged her off the Thunderpath and into the bushes. He fashioned a nest for her and watched as Wolfheart curled up in it. He curled up beside her, close enough that their pelts touched. She blinked up at him gratefully, then rested her head on her paws and drifted into sleep.

The other cats did the same. Icepaw and Solarpaw curled up with Ivy nestled between them. Rockfire made his own nest near Wolfheart and Shadowstorm.

The older warrior hesitated before meowed quietly, "Shadowstorm?"

The black tom raised his head. "Yes?" He gazed warily at the black-spotted gray tom. He remembered how jealous Rockfire was about Wolfheart's and his relationship. Shadowstorm didn't want to fight with Rockfire.

Rockfire glanced away before looking directly into Shadowstorm's eyes. Shadowstorm tried not to flinch under the intensity of those orange eyes. "Do you honestly love her?"

Shadowstorm blinked in surprise, but he answered sincerely. "I don't just love her, I adore her."

"I've seen the way she looks at you. I believe that feeling is mutual." Rockfire sighed before he continued. "I have been foolish, thinking that if I could push you away she would love me instead. The only thing I succeeded in doing was pushing her away too." He closed his eyes. "I have made my decision. She is yours. I will stop interfering, you two belong together. Please, take care of my little apprentice."

Shadowstorm blinked, then gently mewed, "Thank you, my friend."

Rockfire opened his eyes and nodded. "Get some sleep. We will need all our strength to make it home before Aquastar becomes too worried about us."

"I doubt that we will be able to make it in one day."

"I know. But we might be able to make it back before the party gets too far away from the camp."

Shadowstorm nodded. "I guess you're right. Good night, Rockfire." He lowered his head onto Wolfheart's shoulder.

Rockfire blinked sadly, but said nothing. He rested his own head on his paws and waited for sleep to come."

-----

"Okay, we've waited long enough," growled Aquastar. She leapt up onto the Great Rock. "I ask all warriors to meet beneath the Great Rock!" she yowled.

The MysticClan warriors looked up from where they were in surprise. Aquastar had never asked for only the warriors before.

"She must be choosing cats for the search party," whispered Blackstone to the others as they made their way over to their leader.

"I will lead the search party," began Aquastar as soon as the cats had gathered. "Hawkwing, you're in charge until I get back." The deputy nodded. "Nightrain, Snowdrift, and Emberflame are coming with me. Okay?"

All of the cats nodded, all except for Emberflame. She was staring straight ahead, her eyes wide and unseeing. Nightrain nudged her gently. "Emberflame?"

Suddenly, the light orange she-cat jolted out of her trance. She looked up at Aquastar. "I saw them. They are all together and they are safe. They are on their way back, traveling along the Thunderpath. But…there is another cat with them. I do not recognize her," Emberflame reported.

"I see. We shall still go and meet them. I want to see for myself that they are all okay." _And yell at Rockfire out there rather than in the camp_, she added silently to herself. "Move out!"

The small search party left the camp with Aquastar in the lead. As soon as they reached the Thunderpath, she let Emberflame take over, since she had seen which direction the missing cats were in.

It was getting late in the day. Emberflame paused to check the scent in the wind. "We're getting closer to them. We should meet up with them in a few minutes."

"Step up the pace," meowed Aquastar. "I want to get to them as soon as possible."

The search party started to run. "Turn up ahead," Emberflame warned the others. Just as they made the bend, Emberflame ran directly into Wolfheart. Both she-cats squeaked in surprise and then realized who it was they had met.

"Emberflame!" "Wolfheart!" They cried out in unison and embraced each other.

"I was so worried about you," meowed Emberflame.

"Oh please, you're the one with the ability to see all things," Wolfheart teased her sister, flicking her shoulder with her tail.

"Emberflame!" Solarpaw bounced up to her mentor and pressed herself against the warrior.

"Hey, Solarpaw! I've missed you," Emberflame mewed as she licked her apprentice's head.

"My kits!" meowed Snowdrift as she pulled Icepaw and Solarpaw to her, nuzzling both cats.

For the first time ever, Icepaw struggled slightly. "Mom, not in front of Ivy," she protested.

Snowdrift, Nightrain, Emberflame, and Aquastar looked up from the apprentices at the former street cat. Ivy shrank under their gaze.

Aquastar stepped forward and looked closely at her. "Emberflame, is this the cat that you saw?"

"Yes, Aquastar."

The storm gray leader seemed to consider Ivy. The light brown cat tried not to flinch away. This cat was truly a leader; everything about her radiated it, and it intimidated Ivy.

Finally Aquastar spoke. "Why have you come out here?"

Ivy pulled herself up to her full height, which only came to the leader's shoulder, and meowed, "I wish to join your Clan."

Aquastar blinked. "Are you sure? I can smell Twoleg place all over you. Life in the forest will not be as easy as your home around Twolegs."

Ivy's green eyes hardened. "If you believe I lived with Twolegs, you are wrong. My home was on the streets. I am used to going to bed hungry and sleeping in the middle of storms. I am as tough as any cat out in your forest. I've made it this far, and I'm not turning back."

Aquastar smiled. "Willing to stand up for herself; I like that. Well then, Ivy, is it?" She looked at the other cats. "What do you think? Shall we let Ivy into the Clan?"

Both Icepaw and Solarpaw nodded their heads vigorously. "Please, Aquastar," mewed Icepaw.

"We've been with her all this time, and she's really something to see," Solarpaw added.

"I saw how she rescued them from a river. I've never seen anyone with that kind of determination. I think it would be good if she joined MysticClan," meowed Wolfheart. Shadowstorm and Rockfire nodded in agreement.

"If what they say is true, Ivy saved my kits. I wouldn't have the heart to send someone like that away," Snowdrift said softly.

"I will stand beside whatever you decide," Emberflame said, "But I think she should join us."

"As do I," added Nightrain.

Aquastar considered this. "Very well then," she meowed, "Ivy's naming ceremony will be tonight."

Icepaw and Solarpaw looked excitedly at their friend.

"Let's go home," continued Aquastar. "You start on ahead. I wish to speak with Rockfire alone."

The others nodded and started off, leaving Aquastar and Rockfire behind. Ivy's paws felt lighter than air. She finally had a home!


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 

Ivy hesitated at the entrance to the MysticClan camp. Even though Aquastar had accepted her, would the other warrior cats?

Icepaw pushed her gently. "You'll be fine. Trust me."

Wolfheart flicked her tail over the younger cat's shoulder. "I'll go in first and tell them if you want," she offered gently.

"N-no. I want to do this. I can't have my first impression to the Clan be one that says I need some one else to scout the area for me, can I?" she mewed, but her eyes were round with fear.

"Come on," meowed Shadowstorm. He pushed through the branches first, followed by Wolfheart. Snowdrift nudged Icepaw and Solarpaw forward, with Ivy in between them. Nightrain and Emberflame brought up the rear.

A chorus of joyous mews greeted the warriors, followed by and even happier cry at the sight of the apprentices. Solarpaw, of course, was hamming it up, bowing and almost prancing, putting on a real show for the Clan.

The clearing went silent as Hawkwing stepped forward. His gold eyes were fixed on Ivy. "Who are you?" he growled.

Emberflame placed herself between the deputy and the she-cat, as did Wolfheart. "This is Ivy, and she has been invited into the Clan by Aquastar herself," the light orange warrior replied stiffly.

"How can you tell that she is a friend and not a foe?" he said. Ivy stepped back. This tom was much fiercer than she had expected.

"She's a friend without a doubt!" mewed Icepaw.

"Yeah, she saved our lives! How can anyone do that and be an enemy?" added Solarpaw.

Murmurs of curiosity spread through the camp. "She looks really different." "She smells like a Twoleg place." "How can they be so sure?" "What if it's a trick?"

Ivy shook, not from fear, but from anger. How dare they! They knew nothing about her so why should they judge her? "I swear to you, I am not here to cause trouble. I'm sure if I were up to something, these cats I have traveled with would have picked up on it. Do you mistrust their judgment?" she directly challenged Hawkwing.

The deputy was taken aback. Never before had he met someone who challenged him outright. Before he could say anything, the bushes at the camp entrance rustled. "It's alright, Hawkwing. It was my decision to bring her here," Aquastar said as she came in. Rockfire was right behind her, looking rather humbled.

The leader leaped up onto the Great Rock. "MysticClan, This cat is called Ivy. According to Icepaw and Solarpaw, she helped them get back here." She looked down at the apprentices. "Would you like to tell your story?" They nodded. "Then come up here. You too, Ivy."

Solarpaw was at the top in a flash. Icepaw followed behind slightly more respectfully. Ivy came up last. Aquastar touched the light brown cat with her tail. Ivy looked up at her with gratitude. Even if no other cat believed her, at least Aquastar had faith in her.

Ivy looked down at the Clan. They were all looking up at them with curiosity and expectance. She saw two cats emerge from one den. One looked a lot like Solarpaw. The other was a blue cat with a white tail. She joined Wolfheart and Emberflame and looked up to where they were standing. Her deep blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight. Seeing them gave her comfort.

Ivy took a deep breath and began. She started with her life on the streets, assuring a few disbelievers that she did not live with Twolegs, only in their territories. She moved onto when she had been caught and put into the big Twoleg building. Icepaw then took over, telling of how she and Solarpaw had been caught and brought to the same place Ivy was and how they escaped. Icepaw then moved onto their travel through the Twoleg place. Ivy made a note to thank her later because Icepaw left out the part about staying with Toffee for a few nights. She felt a pang of loneliness over losing her friend. She was brought back by Solarpaw telling them about how Ivy saved both of them from the river. Ivy noticed that the blue cat's eyes went incredibly wide at hearing that.

As the story came to a close, an elderly looking cat stood up. She had brown patches all over her pelt. "How do we know they aren't lying?" she rasped.

The light gray cat next to her looked appalled. "Mossear, how could you doubt these cats, your _Clan mates!_" she meowed.

"If you need extra proof," began Wolfheart, "Shadowstorm, Rockfire, and I were present at the river." The two toms nodded. "If Ivy hadn't been there, Icepaw and Solarpaw surely would've drowned."

"I had a dream about this," the blue cat mewed. "I saw a star and an icicle saved from a river by a leaf. And not just any leaf, and _ivy_ leaf."

Aquastar stepped forward. "Now that we have heard the full story, shall we allow Ivy to join the Clan?"

A yowl of agreement rose from the Clan. Even Mossear and Hawkwing joined in.

"Good. Icepaw and Solarpaw, return to your mentors." Both of the apprentices shot Ivy an encouraging look before leaping down. Solarpaw joined Emberflame, while Icepaw sat beside a tabby tom. Ivy turned around to face Aquastar.

"Now then. Ivy, you know little about our life here in the forest. But there are ceremonies that all cats of the Clan are a part of. The first one is when a cat receives his of her apprentice name. So, Ivy, are you ready to join MysticClan officially, to learn how we live, to understand the Warrior Code, and to live it to the best of your abilities?"

Ivy had to keep herself from looking down. This was what she was waiting for all her life: a home, a family…a place to belong. But was she really ready to leave her old life? She thought of Toffee. She could hear her old friend scolding her about coming all the way out here only to back down. Toffee would want her to do this. Ivy looked steadily at Aquastar and answered, "I do."

"Then from this moment on until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Ivypaw. Your mentor will be Shadowstorm."

Ivy looked up at the black tom, uncertain of what she was supposed to do. He leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Touch your nose to mine." She hesitated then did as she was told. From the corner of her eye she could see Wolfheart looking up at them with pride and love in her eyes.

"In addition to this, I ask that Wolfheart will help you to learn how the Clan works. Will you do this?" Aquastar asked.

The cark brown warrior nodded. "I would be more than delighted to."

"Then I welcome Ivypaw into MysticClan. I ask that StarClan will watch over our newest Clan mate and guide her paws as well as her mentors!"

MysticClan yowled out, "Ivypaw! Ivypaw!" The loudest of all were Icepaw and Solarpaw.


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue 

Ivypaw dropped into a hunter's crouch and started forward. She placed each paw carefully in front of the other. Not a pebble was moved as she snuck up behind the vole. It chewed a seed, completely unaware of the cat behind it.

_Easy, easy_, Ivypaw thought to herself. She paused, then sprang. The vole barely had time to drop its seed before she caught it.

"Well done!" meowed Shadowstorm. He walked up to his apprentice so he could get a better look at what she caught. "That's a good plump one. That one might be able to make Mossear lighten up a bit." Ivypaw buried the vole so it wouldn't get taken away before they came back for it.

"I don't think ten voles like that could make her any better to be around," meowed Solarpaw.

Emberflame chuckled, looking at Wolfheart. Only a smile was on her face, but Emberflame could tell she was trying not to laugh right out loud. They both had 'fond' memories of the grouchy old cat from when they were apprentices.

Ivypaw had been with MysticClan for two moons now. Although at her first Gathering some of the other Clans had given her grief, they now accepted her as being a full MysticClan cat. Under Wolfheart's guidance, she had learned a lot of the traditions that Clan-born kits had known for all of their lives.

"You're doing good, Ivypaw. It's almost like you really were Clan-born," mewed Wolfheart, flicking her tail fondly over the apprentice's side. Just then, she caught a whiff of a mouse. She crouched down low and started towards it. Ivypaw was still impressed by how stealthy Wolfheart was.

Closer and closer Wolfheart crept. She stopped and prepared to pounce. Suddenly, she went rigid and gasped, staggering slightly. The mouse scurried away into the bushes.

"Wolfheart! Are you okay?" Shadowstorm was at her side in a second.

Wolfheart leaned heavily against him. "I think I need to see Solarwind and Frostbite," she answered, her voice sounding weak.

"Emberflame, you're in charge of both Solarpaw and Ivypaw. I'm taking Wolfheart back to camp. Don't worry about us, and bring back as much fresh-kill as you can," Shadowstorm meowed. He then started off, very slowly, murmuring to the dark brown warrior.

Emberflame and the apprentices watched them go. Then Emberflame meowed, "Come on. We won't help anyone by just standing here. Let's find some prey."

-----

"Solarwind! Frostbite!" Shadowstorm yowled as he and Wolfheart entered the camp. She seemed a little better, but she still was weak.

Solarwind was at their side in an instant with Frostbite at her heels. Wolfheart was transferred from the tom to the blue medicine cat and allowed herself to be led into the medicine cats' den.

Shadowstorm tried to follow, but Solarwind stopped him. "It would be better for you to wait outside. Don't worry, I'll be out in a moment to tell you how she is."

The silver-striped black medicine cat entered the den. Shadowstorm started to pace outside it. He was so scared. He'd rather face all of NightClan alone then be in the position he was in now. What if she was really sick?

Luckily, he didn't have to fret for too long. A few minutes later, Frostbite came out of the den. Fear gripped the black tom's heart. If the younger cat was sent out while the senior one remained with Wolfheart, then something must be terribly wrong.

Before he could say anything, Frostbite held up her paw. "Don't worry, nothing is wrong with her. Come inside."

Shadowstorm followed her in. Wolfheart was curled up in a nest, her head raised. She looked a little dazed. Solarwind was sitting next to her.

"How is she?" the tom asked.

"Everything is fine," Solarwind meowed.

"Then why did she almost faint?"

Solarwind smiled. "Congratulations, Shadowstorm. You're going to be a father."

"Wh-what?" Shadowstorm blinked, looking down at Wolfheart.

Wolfheart looked up at him. Her eyes said everything that he needed to know. Shadowstorm bent down to nuzzle his mate.

"We're going to be parents," Wolfheart mewed quietly.

"I know," the tom said, licking her head between the ears. Love swelled inside him. He felt s though his heart would burst. Kits! He couldn't believe it. What would they look like? How would they behave? So many questions swirled inside his head. In the end, it didn't matter to him, as long as they had their mother's spirit. He whispered in her ear again, "I know…"


End file.
